21 February 2008

Predictions 2/23 – 2/25

SaturdayBirmingham v Arsenal, 7:45am, Setanta: I doubt Arsenal has forgotten dropping 2 points thanks to a second-half Garry O’Connor equalizer at the Emirates last month. Arsenal 2-0Fulham v West Ham, 10am, FSC: West Ham’s hard to get a gauge on, especially with their injury list. They can beat Liverpool and United at home and hold Man City both home and away, but lose to Wigan and draw Brum at home. And Fulham can get a draw against anyone at home when they're on their game. 1-1Portsmouth v Sunderland, 10am, Setanta Xtra: Sunderland’s lost 11 out of 13 on the road this season (and drawn the other two). Also, while I don’t know if it’ll have any bearing Saturday, I really like the Defoe deal, and think he’ll do well under Redknapp. Pompey 2-0Wigan v Derby, 10am: Derby’s another that’s winless away from home, the difference being their goal differential’s -42. Wigan, in 16th and only a point above the relegation zone, will see this as a must-win. Wigan 1-0Newcastle v Man Utd, 12:15pm, FSC: The press that’d follow were Keegan to get his first win since returning to Newcastle over Manchester United would be simply tremendous. And while I’m sure Newcastle would love retribution for the 6-0 drubbing suffered soon after Allardyce’s exit, I can’t see it on the teams’ respective forms. United 3-1

SundayReading v Aston Villa, 7:30am: 4 home losses in a row, with Reading winless since December 22nd, has seen the club fall into the relegation zone for the first time since promotion. But Reading is still dangerous on their day, particularly at home, and I think slipping into the bottom three should catalyze the team. 2-2Blackburn v Bolton, 10am, delayed on FSC at 11am: Well, it’s a Lancashire derby involving two teams playing well and tough to beat. 1-1

MondayManchester City v Everton, 3pm, Setanta: Another game where the two sides’ good form will probably cancel each other out. 1-1

Bonus Carling Cup prediction:Tottenham v Chelsea, 10am Sunday, Setanta: Maybe it’s just the hope that someone other than United, Chelsea, or Arsenal will win a domestic cup, but I truly think Tottenham can on Sunday. Both Berbatov and Keane have been scoring regularly, and aside from today’s nervy UEFA Cup match, Tottenham’s played well of late. Chelsea’s won this tournament twice in the last three years, and gave Spurs their lone league loss since New Year’s Day, but with the possibility that Terry and Lampard may miss out, I’m hopeful we’ll have a different team lifting the trophy this year. Spurs 3-2